Question about Move to U.K.

Hi,
 I was wondering if anyone has had to deal with trying to get an apartment in the U.K while still living in the states?  Is it easy?  Are there any sites that deal strictly with that type of thing? 

I'm finding on my internet searches that most places are for rent now or a month from now.  I'd like to get a place lined up within the next couple months but I'm not sure if that's possible or who can help me out in doing that. 

I read about some people having credit issues which worries me.  My husband is British with good credit but mine is okay and we weren't sure if they would require anything from me or if it could be put under my husband. 

We are looking at getting a place in Manchester or Nottingham but don't know what areas we should stay clear from.  We have a toddler so it's very important to live in a low crime area.  We thought maybe an apartment complex might be the best way to go but there seems to be a lack of them listed on the net, especially with any kind of details. 

I guess any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks!

I'm currently in the same situation. It doesn't seem like many others on the board have gone through that because I haven't gotten too many responses, that I recall, about this topic. My memory is bad though...

I am looking into hiring a relocation agent to help us find a place over there before we go but they cost thousands (of pounds and dollars) in the London area (plus they usually want you to go over there to preview places if you can so that's a cost of a trip right there). An alternative is staying in a short term let when you first get there until you can have time to look around and find a place. However, I have 2 dogs, 2 kids, and work to deal with when I arrive so I won't have the luxury of waiting to find a place (plus it would seem very stressful).

Let me know what you find. We are having a lot of trouble figuring out how to pick an area when we don't know anything about them. I did buy the book "The New London Property Guid 05/06" (its the latest version. The editor is Carrie Segrave.

oh i also have a toddler (2yr old) and an infant (2 mo old)

Though I’m sure it can be done, in my opinion I don’t think it’s workable to rent a flat in the UK while you’re still in the States. You really need to be here.

What I would suggest to both of you is that either you or your partner (best option would be whoever will be providing the main source of income), come to the UK earlier, at lest a week or two, without your family and stuff, and establish a ‘beachhead’ so to speak.

Book a hotel in a central location, wherever you’ll be living, to use as a base and then pick one or two areas/neighbourhoods and blitz every estate agent until you find a decent place.

I found www.findaproperty.co.uk to be the most comprehensive real estate website. The newspaper Loot also contains rental listings (or visit www.loot.com) many offered direct from owners (at least in London).

In my opinion, at this point it’s less important to pick the ‘right’ location than to simply secure a place to live until you can get yourselves sorted after the move.

You can rent on a short-term basis (3-, 6-month, etc.), but even those offered on a one year term include a 6-month break clause in the lease meaning you can move after 6 months provided you give 30 days notice.

If the flat or neighbourhood doesn’t fit your needs you’ll be able to month in a relatively short period of time – which will also allow you to explore different neighbourhoods to find one to your liking or that better meets your needs. Plus many flats come furnished with beds, sofa and some even have kitchen stuff so you won't need all your possesions at first either.

I realise both of you have children and don’t know how feasible arriving before them given their ages but I would think it would be less stressful to be on your own while trying to find a place to live.

Jessica – I don’t know anything about Manchester or Nottingham but I wouldn’t worry so much about your credit because I doubt it will be checked. The two main things that  you have enough income to pay the rent so a letter from an employer must be provided and your bank details (which I know is a whole other story)

Julia – you say you’ll be working near Oxford Circus, if you’re looking to live in London anywhere along the Bakerloo, Central or Victoria lines would be very convenient for your commute to work.

I’m most familiar with North and Northeast London and some decent spots on or near the Victoria line are Highbury, Finsbury Park, Stroud Green, Crouch End (post codes N7, N5, N4 and N8) Of course they are not the cheapest neighbourhoods but again, think of it as being for the short-term if it doesn’t work out.

On or near the Bakerloo: Kensal Green, Brondesbury, Cricklewood, West Hampstead (post codes NW6, NW2) I’ve only ever passed through but they seem decent enough to me.

On the central line: I was recently in Ealing and was very impressed! It appeared to me to be family-oriented with a very impressive high street town centre. Try around Ealing Broadway or Ealing Common and branch out (post codes W5, W13)

I just moved here three months ago, and I can tell you it's almost impossible to get a place before you get here. At least for two Americans. For a Brit who's lived here before and has credit here, it might be easier, but probably still not ideal.

Personally, I do not like the idea of moving into a place thinking that I'll move out again in a few months if I don't like it. It's a poor plan unless you've got lots of cash (and lots of patience dealing with moving hassles). Besides the fact that many places will want you to sign a 12-month lease, you would have the cost of moving again (which is high in this country) and it's just a pain to deal with moving, period. I like to find a good place in a good area, somewhere I could see staying for more than a year.

You almost certainly need to arrive here first. What you could do is rent a serviced flat or possibly a B&B that has a kitchenette for a couple of weeks to a month and search like crazy. If you can afford it, hire a relocation agent. They are all costly, but some moreso than others. I used a smaller yet very efficient company and paid about $1,000. They can also look into safe neighborhoods, good schools, proximity to your workplace, etc. They also have contacts that could mean you get to see a house or flat that the owner only just decided to let that has not been advertised yet. What's more, if you're in a hurry to get in your house or apartment, you will find something much quicker with them. If you don't have any special needs that are hard to find (like needing a place without stairs like I did), you can expect to probably find a home you want to rent in the first day that the agent takes you out looking. It may still be a week or two before you can move in, depending on the circumstances, though.

For an idea of what's available in the area you want, check out rightmove.co.uk. Keep in mind that if a property is much less than other houses, it may be in a bad area or bad state of repair. And keep in mind that you have to pay a hefty monthly council tax on top of whatever the rent is -- something I didn't figure in when I was browsing places online before we came and had been so sure that we could find something nice for about $900 a month less than we ended up paying! Council tax varies, but for us it's $260 a month. To put that into perspective, that's more than the entire rent for the first apartment I ever had in the States!

We came over prior to moving here with the sole purpose of finding a place to rent.

Even though I'm a Brit I had no credit rating here due to living in the States for three years. We found a place we liked through an estate agent and had to come up with six months' rent in advance. Our lease was for six months not twelve though we did have the option to extend after that if we wanted.

We only ended up moving from there because the landlord fell into arrears with the mortgage and was being taken to court.

Six+ months on and that house is still up for sale/rent! 

We found a place before we moved through Foxtons.  It's OK, we still live in the house.. but there was a lot of stuff we didn't find out about until we moved in.  Like, the 'wood' floors are laminate, the garage door was broken, the third bedroom wouldn't even take a crib... and the house is fairly tilted.  The photos didn't show these things. 

Foxtons has a bad reputation, but their website is pretty fantastic... and they'll get you into a house very quickly.  One co-worker just came over and found a house the same day with them.  None of us has any credit rating in the UK.  However, we are covered by our company... that may have helped.

Anyhow, I wish we had waited until we got here.  Our hotel was fine with the cat, and was happy to be our shipping address for small stuff.  The big stuff could have been re-addressed once we knew the house number.  I just couldn't handle any more stress... so wanted a house ready when we arrived.

I wish I could remember the website... someone else hopefully can... There's a site that shows income levels and occupations for UK postcodes.  It can give clues about the character of the neighborhoods you're looking at.  Many areas have local websites/boards, which can really be helpful.  Ours has house prices, police reports, nonsense chit-chat, and loads of helpful people.

I wish I could remember the website... someone else hopefully can... There's a site that shows income levels and occupations for UK postcodes.  It can give clues about the character of the neighborhoods you're looking at.  Many areas have local websites/boards, which can really be helpful.  Ours has house prices, police reports, nonsense chit-chat, and loads of helpful people.

Look here.

We came over prior to moving here with the sole purpose of finding a place to rent.

Even though I'm a Brit I had no credit rating here due to living in the States for three years. We found a place we liked through an estate agent and had to come up with six months' rent in advance. Our lease was for six months not twelve though we did have the option to extend after that if we wanted.

We only ended up moving from there because the landlord fell into arrears with the mortgage and was being taken to court.

Six+ months on and that house is still up for sale/rent! 

This is interesting (and worrying).  I am a Brit too, and have no credit rating.  But I do have a letter from my future employer with my salary listed.  I spoke to one letting agency who said that that should work in order for us to get a place.  What was your experience?  Did you have proof of income?  I am really hoping we don;t have to pay six months up front. We don;t have it!

On the other topic.  I have also been thinking about the issue of securing a place before moving, and realized that it was just not going to happen.  Like you, I have kids, and I really want to have a "feel" for a place before committing to it, even for 3-6 months.  We;re coming a little earlier too, and the children are staying with relatives for a few days while we look around.  It's a little nervewracking, but might be fun too.  You said your husband is a Brit--maybe you have relatives who can look after the little ones while you explore and find a home for yourselves.  This way landlords can get a "feel" for you also, and this might make things easier in terms of being accepted for a place.

All that said, it seems to be worth finding a reputable letting agency and explaining your situation directly to them. Ask if you will have any problems if you can provide proof of income.  In the end, they want to let these places!

Good luck!

We spent 4 days in London looking around and putting in offers on rental houses. If you don't have dogs I would think it should go swimmingly :/

I'm filling out an application for the 2nd place we tried to rent (the 1st withdrew their offer) and it asks for:
* National Insurance Number (don't have one yet)
* last 3 years of addresses
* if you smoke/have pets/have kids/have court judgements
* Bank information (don't have a uk bank account yet so I sent off an email asking about what they want for this one)
* Name of employer (sent of info if they want my present US manager or the UK one I'll have on Aug 20) and their contact information
* Present Landlord/Agency contact information

We had to put down a 500 GBP holding deposit to take it off the market (is applied to security deposit when we sign the agreement). We have to put 2 months security deposit (usually 6 weeks but due to dogs its more). We will also have to pay the month's rent of course.

Now, if they come back saying we will need to pay more due to lack of UK info I'll let you guys know. I hope they don't.

I don't know if this is true as a rule or not but it seemed like the houses currently empty (for the most part) were lower in quality than the ones occupied. I'm guessing that those are snapped up before the current owners/tenants move out if they're put on the market in advance?

I had also heard on this forum about a 6 month break clause. None of the landlords we've dealt with wanted to deal with anything but a 6 month business break clause (meaning for business reasons only, though I've not seen a definition of what specifically qualifies as a business reason -- transfer, losing job, etc.?). And by 6 month they mean after 6 months you can give a 60 day notice at any time -- translation minimum lease 8 months.

This is interesting (and worrying).  I am a Brit too, and have no credit rating.  But I do have a letter from my future employer with my salary listed.  I spoke to one letting agency who said that that should work in order for us to get a place.  What was your experience?  Did you have proof of income?  I am really hoping we don;t have to pay six months up front. We don;t have it!

Neither of us had a job lined up, only savings, which is probably part of the reason we had to stump up so much money. I don't think you would have the same experience.

Good luck with finding the right place for you.

Neither of us had a job lined up, only savings, which is probably part of the reason we had to stump up so much money. I don't think you would have the same experience.

Good luck with finding the right place for you.

thanks Tam:)  Yeah, I posted on this yesterday and am reassured we'll be ok.